Art exhibition along the city wall of Kraków.

Kraków Old Town

Our Dickinson-in-Poland excursion was very diverse and well-planned. The schedule provided us with friendly and knowledgable Polish tour guides who made sure we were not walking through the old and historical cities without knowing what we were walking past. I found the group walking tour of Krakow to be especially interesting and also helpful. Thanks to the tour, we were given a good overview of the different areas of Krakow and we never needed to use a map in order to refind those places to which we wanted to return. Despite trekking through the one day of not-so-great weather, the tour introduced us to the most beautiful and most historical of Krakow and I enjoyed every minute. Ultimately, despite having spent only a few days there, I felt as though I received a good sense of how the city was shaped by hundreds of years of history and tradition, an understanding that cannot be neglected if one is to really feel as though any foreign city has become a temporary home. >Carol Rynar ‘ 17<

The Wawel Castle

One of the highlights of this excursion was the beautiful, historic centrum of Kraków, the Old Town Market Square or Rynek Główny. One of the largest historic market squares in Europe, the unique and lovely spot contains an underground archeological museum, the ornate and awe-inspiring St. Mary’s Basilica, a line of shops and carriages, hundreds of flocking pigeons, and the Jagiellonian University class where we had our interesting lecture series. We were especially lucky to experience this vibrant city around Easter with a charming Easter and spring-themed market on the main square. >Helen Schlimm ‘ 17<

Gdansk

One of our first days in Poland, we visited the city of Gdansk, which involved a three-hour train ride from Warsaw; a far but worthwhile journey. We met with our tour guide outside the train station, who led us towards the shipyards where the Solidarity movement grew its roots. We walked under the gate where Lech Walesa shared the news that a deal had been made with the communist government in 1980. We entered the museum to learn of the events that led up to that critical moment. Through interactive dioramas, props and photographs, we learned about the struggle against communism and martial law and the numerous political uprisings that took place because of that struggle. We saw the original 21 demands of the 1980 shipyard demonstration handwritten on old plywood, which led to the creation of the first trade union. I learned a lot about Polish history and am really appreciative of the opportunity to have seen this great historical city. >Phoebe Allebach ‘ 17<

The famous Gate No. 2 at the Gdansk Shipyard.

Schönbrunn – Sehr schön indeed!

From left to right: Ira, Phoebe, Carol, Helen, Janine Ludwig

We were really lucky to experience the Schönbrunn Palace on the sunniest day of our excursion! Only a twenty-minute train ride outside the city center, this absolutely stunning palace and gardens really lives up to its name with an unbelievable self-guided tour through the regal halls and rooms of the summer home of the Hapsburg Emperors and Empresses, most notably Maria Theresia and Elisabeth “Sissi”. From finely enameled wallpaper and portraits to bejeweled mirrors, chandeliers and furniture it was really exciting to experience the wealth of the empire and imagine living in a time where one might actually attend a ball in the great hall. The gardens and grounds were also gorgeous and provided an awesome view of the city from the short hike up the hill! >Helen Schlimm<

Schönbrunn Gardens: Ira Lauer, Helen Schlimm, Carol Rynar, Phoebe Allebach (from left to right)

The National Library

One of my favorite experiences on this trip was our visit to the national library. Thanks to our program, we were given this unique opportunity that we would not have otherwise had, had we just visited on our own. (It was incredibly satisfying to be ushered behind a red velvet rope to an off-limits section of the library for a closer look at the books while normal tourists watched jealously on.) We were given a private tour by a very knowledgeable and friendly professor, who gave us a thorough history of the library building as well as of the books. We began outside the doors with a description of the library’s impressive exterior before we headed up the Stiege (a new regional German word was learned on the way up the stairs) and I was able to use the same key Maria Theresa used during the 18^th Century to open the large library door into one of the most beautiful and priceless rooms I have ever seen.

Students looking at an original Luther bible from the 16th century, adorned with paintings from Lucas Cranach the Elder!

We learned how to read a bit of the symbolism painted on the impressive ceiling fresco before we had the opportunity to actually read (and handle!) two texts from the Habsburg collection from the 16^th Century. Vienna is a city full of history, that fact can be grasped easily enough just by walking down the street, but to actually hold in your hands a document so incredibly old and so carefully cared for helped me to appreciate how valuable such history is and how concerned Vienna is with conserving it. From the Schatzkammer to the Kunsthistorisches Museum even to the Kaisergruft, it is obvious the Habsburgs liked to collect priceless artefacts, but I think it is safe to say that the Nationalbibliothek contained Vienna’s most impressive collection. >Carol Rynar<

One of the best experiences of my time in Vienna was our city tour. Vienna is such an old and beautiful city with nearly 1000 years of history. Walking through the city’s streets lined with architecture from Baroque to Art Nouveau was out of the world and will be a life-long memory. >Ira Lauer<

Academic substance

The broader theme of this excursion is German-Austrian history and culture from the middle ages until today. In three introductury lectures, I lead the students back to the origins of what is “German,” (an umbrella term coined by Tacitus) and why we are named after different tribes in other languages, like “Allemannen”, a.k.a. Swabians or “Deutsch,” stemming from “theodisk” which actually means belonging to the people / folk-like. From the defeat of the Romans in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest through the migration period, we follow the emergence of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, from Charles the Great (800) to its dissolution after the Napoleonic conquests (1806) using historic maps and documentaries. At the same time, we track the rise of the Habsburg dynasty from 1273 until 1918 and the overlapping of the Austro-Hungarian k.u.k Monarchy, later the Austrian Empire (1804-1918) with the German Empire (1871-1918). Backed up with this information, the students can better understand the museum exhibits and grasp the importance of Vienna as a former political and cultural center of Europe. And additionally, we indulge in the imperial glamour and the culinary abundance of this beautiful city. >Dr. Janine Ludwig<

Meeting with Hans Modrow

Our Berlin excursion began with the exciting and unique experience to meet the last Premier, or Chairman of the Council of Ministers, of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), Hans Modrow! Herr Modrow’s fascinating history includes living through four different political and social regime changes in Germany, and he is currently the honorary Chairman of die Linke Party (the Left). Most fitting to our theme of German Reunification was his detailed description and explanation of the political transition in East Germany from the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9^th, 1989 to official reunification, nearly a year later, on October 3^rd, 1990. We asked questions about his involvement and opinions on this time and the time since for the better part of three hours. In turn, we received a very interesting perspective from the side of the GDR, a typically lesser known part of recent German history than the West. >Helen Schlimm<

From left to right: Verena Mertz, Janine Ludwig, Ira, Carol, Hans Modrow, Phoebe, Helen. © Frank Schumann

As part of our Berlin trip, we got to meet several political figures from the former German Democratic Republic. We met with Hans Modrow, who was the second last leader of the GDR. We had a long discussion about life, politics of East Germany and the fall of the Berlin Wall. He painted a picture of how the integration of East Germany into the West could have gone and how things would be different for it. Later in the week we had the opportunity to meet member of the Bundestag, Gregor Gysi, who is a leader in the Left party in the Bundestag. With him, we also discussed East Germany and the fall of the Berlin wall. We also learned about the current political climate surrounding the former GDR, such as the debate about whether or not the GDR was a nation built upon the rule of law. From both of these meetings with influential political figures, we gained a much deeper understanding of the politics that surrounded the fall of the Berlin Wall and the ramifications of German unity. >Ira Lauer<

Left: Dr. Gregor Gysi. From front: Janine Ludwig, Helen, Carol, Ira, Phoebe.  © Verena Mertz

Meeting at the Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt)

Our group also got the fascinating chance to meet with a member of the Transatlantic Coordinator’s Office at the Federal Foreign Office! We were lead through a tour of the unique space that was also the National Bank for the Third Reich and the Central Seat of the Socialist Unity Party of East Germany, take (unofficial) press photos, and even got to ride on a Paternoster lift! We had a lively talk and discussion of our questions relating to the American-German relationship in the past, present and future. Themes included the Office’s strategies to inform more Americans and Germans of their program and the importance of the relationship between the two countries, the upcoming presidential elections in the US, and stereotypes of both cultures and how or if they can be changed in the future. It was an extremely interesting meeting and tied in very nicely with our class this semester taught by Janine: Kultur heißt Vergleichen- USA/Deutschland. >Helen Schlimm<

Julian Assange & the BStU

When I first learned that a mass Skype-call with founder of WikiLeaks Julian Assange was on the schedule for the day, I had two initial reactions: firstly, one of excitement that I was to be given an opportunity to be in attendance during a critical contemporary dialogue led by one of the most influential whistle-blowers of the modern age, but secondly one of surprise as well. After speaking with two relevant German political icons earlier that day, the last communist premier of East Germany, Hans Modrow, and the last leader of the Socialist Unity Party (SED) in East Germany, Gregor Gysi, I was curious to see how listening to the ideas of an Australian journalist would fit with our excursion’s overall theme of the division and unification of East and West Germany. What this Skype event quickly helped me to realize, however, was that there really is an incredible amount of thematic overlap with what is happening in the world today and what was happening behind the Wall not too long ago, particularly concerning the right to access information, the notion of privacy, and the necessity of recognizing and spreading the truth. These ideas constituted the theme of the night’s conversation with Assange, titled “The End of Democracy.”

Julian Assange warned us in his speech against the power of technology and of the unchallenged authority of the Silicon Valley. He told us of Google’s geopolitical aspirations, of its closely-established relationship with the United States government, and of its frighteningly-powerful surveillances capabilities. He called us to arms in the fight for justice for a world of clarity and truth, to expose the reality that we are living behind our own virtual “Wall,” while being watched by our own kind of Stasi, an overlord we ourselves have chosen and support both through our dependency on technology and our compliancy to resist the implementation of a severely-limited sense of freedom in today’s world. These ideas were still fresh in my mind when the Dickinson group visited the BStU (Official German Stasi Archive) the next day. >Carol Rynar<

We went to Hohenschönhausen in Berlin, the former prison for the East German Ministry of State Security, the Stasi. A former prisoner, who had an amazing and moving story of imprisonment, gave us a tour. We saw rooms where prisoners stayed which were comprised of a wooden bunk and a bucket for a toilet. We saw a reproduction of a Chinese torture apparatus, in which water was slowly dripped on the person’s forehead for an indefinite amount of time. I was surprised to hear that 90% of the prisoners in Hohenschönhausen were innocent of the so-called crimes they committed. Our tour guide was imprisoned for helping others escape over the wall. The second time he tried himself to escape, he was captured. His best friend was shot and killed. He was put in solitary confinement for 3 years. When he was released, he continued to help people escape into the West. Because of his intense, life-long fight against oppression, he isolated his wife and children, leading to a long estrangement. He told us this with a shaking voice and teary eyes. At this point, the language barrier didn’t matter. I could see and sense his pain, but could only imagine how much he hurts. I couldn’t help but wonder how difficult it must be for him to walk through the halls of the prison daily. Has he numbed himself to the painful physical and emotional memories? Or perhaps in informing others of his difficult plight, he is given strength; there is a renewed purpose to what happened. The tour through Hohenschönhausen was a moving experience and I learned a lot. I would definitely recommend a visit.

During our free time, Helen, Carol and I went to the Museumsinsel and visted the Alte Nationalgalerie (Old National Gallery), which presents a collection of 19^th century art. We saw pieces by Adolph von Menzel, Claude Monet, Max Liebermann, Auguste Renoir and our personal favorite, Caspar David Friedrich. It was really cool to see art that we studied in “German Cultures!” The museum itself was stunning, modeled after the Acropolis of Athens. Afterwards, we walked over to the Berliner Dom and for an afternoon, we enjoyed being surrounded by beautiful architecture. >Phoebe Allebach<

From left to right: Janine Ludwig, Carol, Phoebe, Ira, Helen, Verena Mertz

During our trip to Poland I particularly enjoyed visiting the Krakow Easter Market. Luckily the hotel in which we were staying was located right in the heart of the city and just 1 block away from the central market, which was an amazing place to spend time after the group activities and try some of the local foods such as pierogis, kielbasas and kolaches. The timing of our trip also matched “Palm Sunday” which is a locally celebrated event in which neighboring towns submit tall and colorful “palms” to compete for the highest one. All in all it was a lot of fun and a very nice place to walk around and relax.

Regarding the educative aspect of the trip, I would say that the experience that stuck with me the most was the visit to concentration camps of Auschwitz; a terrible place that should be visited by anybody who has the opportunity regardless of religion or nationality and a cornerstone in humanities capability for atrocity. Since my education in a Jewish high-school, visiting Auschwitz in order to witness and preserve the memory of what happened to the European Jewish communities during the Nazi regime has been one of the most imprinted targets of my education. In multiple previous conferences and chats arranged by my high-school I also had the opportunity to meet some of the few remaining survivors of the concentration camps and listen to their stories, and now this trip to Auschwitz allowed me to put a face to the place that their stories mentioned.

However, I must say that I was in a certain way disappointed. Disappointed because even though the exhibitions show what the darkest moments of humanity accomplished, the experience was much less horrifying than what I had always imagined it to be. There was nothing ominous about the geographic place itself. The grass was green and there were no black clouds of death surrounding the buildings. Had it not been for the dreadful exhibitions, informative billboards and the guide’s explanations, one could have passed without realizing the horrors the buildings hid. This dissipated my preconception of inherent evil associated to the places where the Nazi regime acted, perhaps aligning me with the observations made by Hannah Arendt, which pointed out that it is even in the ordinary places where monstrosities can occur. >Santiago<

I really enjoyed our time in Krakow. I was surprised by the strong and colorful personality of the city and all of the welcoming people who we met there. Every spot was so picturesque and unspoiled by modern day tourism. It was also very neat to learn about different aspects of Poland’s history, culture, and economy from Polish professors in Poland. Being back in lectures filled with other Dickinson students almost made me feel back at home again! It was also great having George there with us; it was almost like having a personal tour guide everywhere we went, since he was always able to provide us with pieces of information that we otherwise would not have known.

This excursion had me thinking bigger than just the United States, Germany, or Poland: in today’s global economy, the actions of one state can have drastic effects on another and it is important to be aware of the benefits and consequences of international relations. >Madison<

I became interested in Poland’s history this summer, when I spent the night in Krosno Odrzańskie in July this past summer. My interest was heightened when I was visiting a friend in Switzerland, whose mother comes from Poland. She talked a little about how she met her husband, and how hard it was to live in a communist system. Since then I have wanted to learn a little more about Polish history, but I had not really had the chance, and therefore, I was quite excited for our Dickinson excursion to Poland.

I was really pleased with the program, especially in Krakow. I think the most beneficial part of the excursion was the opportunity to meet and talk with polish students from the Jagiellonian University. I met up with the students multiple times after our dinner with them on the first night in Krakow. Through the students I got to see polish culture from a different perspective, and I learned a little more about what daily life is like in Poland for members of my own generation. I think what really struck me, was that the dreams and aspirations of the Polish students are very similar to those of American and German students, despite the differences in economy and historical background.

I also really enjoyed the Underground Museum in Krakow. The museum is very well done, and I think it really took the ideas we had been learning about in our lectures and made them come to life. It is rare to find a well done interactive museum that is not explicitly made for children. The POLIN Museum in Warsaw as well done too. I gained a lot of knowledge from our tour and think it would be worth visiting again to go through slower on my own, if I am ever back in Warsaw.  In the end the excursion to Poland really was a valuable experience. I learned so much about the history, economics and culture that I have a much better appreciation for Poland. I think just being able to spend time in Krakow alone made the trip worth it. It is a beautiful city. >Adrienne<

One of my favorite things about Poland was meeting the American Studies students in Krakow and spending time with them. As someone who is interested in languages (I had tried to decipher the Sky Mall magazines on the plane which were in both English and Polish) I wanted to have a chance to learn new Polish phrases and pronunciations from native speakers. For example, there is a Polish letter that looks like an “l” with a line through it! (It’s pronounced like an English “w”). The American Studies students from the University of Krakow also knew which food and restaurants were the best! We had a great time discussing US trivia and history and learning more about Poland while eating Perogies. It was an excellent example of students engaging in a cultural exchange and learning more about each other’s countries.

I thought the Poland program was interesting, because as a German major, understanding the history and culture of the countries which border on Germany is just as important as understanding the history and culture of Germany itself. Therefore, I enjoyed many of the lectures about Polish history, economics, and politics. My favorite speaker was the “Alphabet of Poland” professor. He decided to go through Polish history using an A… B… C… etc. approach rather than the traditional approach of chronological order. I also enjoyed how the Poland trip allowed the Dickinson students abroad in Germany to connect with the other Dickinson students in Italy. It was also interesting for me to compare the experiences of being abroad in Germany vs. in Italy. I would suggest more trips which allow different Dickinson abroad groups to connect— I was also able to spend time with students that I did not yet know very well at Dickinson College. >Ezra<

My favorite part of the Poland Excursion was the choir concert we attended of the high schoolers from Krakow and Germantown, PA. They were both very talented groups and the music program was great, but I especially loved at the end how both the groups and their history were explained by the school directors. It was nice to see other students of an even younger age getting to experience the culture and friendship of people from another country, especially Poland. I am also grateful to have learned so much about a country that I originally didn’t have too much knowledge on. It was a nice contrast learning intellectually about Poland in the lectures while also getting to see the two major cities of Krakow and Warsaw, whether it be by walking around, museums, or bus tours. Overall it opened my eyes to yet another country of Europe, and it turned out to be one of my favorites.  I can’t wait to go back. >Cassie<

Our excursion to Poland consisted of many lectures, tours of Krakow and Warsaw, and many delicious meals. The two lectures I found most interesting were entitled; “From Communist to Solidarity and Further” and “Church and the State in Poland.” Poland has a rich history and relationship with the USA, Germany, and Russia and this lecture explored this history as well as Poland’s current role in international affairs. I also found it interesting to compare everyday life in communist Poland with that in the DDR. In the second lecture I learned that 80-90% of Poles, depending on the poll, identify themselves as Christian and how this is reflected in Government policy.

Personally, I found the visitation of Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau to be the most compelling and I find myself very fortunate to learn about this piece of world history. >George<

On our excision to Poland I was very surprised by the city of Krakow. I never would have imagined how beautiful and alive it would be. It was very interesting to witness their easter celebrations and markets, as they were not present in Bremen. The culture was very warm with people performing every day in the market square, whether it was break dancers, musicians, or people blowing huge bubbles entertaining swarms of children. The lectures at the beginning of the excursion helped with all the future museum visits and documentaries. I was embarrassed by how little Polish history I knew before this excursion, but I feel like I came out of it with a basic understanding. I never knew how deep Poland’s connections with America were. I really enjoyed how it seemed like at every new exhibit or lecture there was not only Polish and American but also German and Italian history involved. I was very impacted by the visit to Auschwitz and Birkenau, especially as a German Studies major, World War II is almost always a part of our curriculum, but it’s a much more emotional and real experience that’s hard to achieve without physically being there. >Katie<

I was most entranced by any of the events that taught our group the long and complex history of Krakow, the two most interesting being the city tour and the visit to the Rynek Underground museum of Krakow. For me, going out into the city and being able to gaze at the buildings while hearing their history, or see an elaborate exhibit that transports a person back in time with the sights and sounds of medieval times, allowed me to experience history in an almost tangible way. On the city tour, we not only heard about dates and historical figures, but above all stories, the words that I live for and drive the heartbeat of the city. It is one thing to see the magnificent St. Mary’s Basilica on the town square and discuss the complex history of the church’s role in Polish history, which we did frequently during our trip. However, to hear the tragic story of the brothers who supposedly built the church allowed me a glimpse into the beautiful narrative of the city. Among the many treasures of the Rynek Underground, four meters underground and at the same level as the original town market place, was the initiative of the museum to preserve these stories for the next generation. In this extremely interactive museum there are undisturbed sections of rock left purposefully to be excavated by the next generation of archeologists. So while the entire trip was fascinating and exciting for me, exposing me to new sights, tastes, languages and people, it was these stories that are collected and preserved by the citizens of Krakow that I felt most honored to be a part of. The Poland excursion was a whirlwind of new places and information, that above all exposed me to a section of history and the part of the world I would have not gotten the chance to see. >Rachel<

In the second part of our Vienna Blog, read about the Wiener Schatzkammer, the Marionette Theater and a performance of Mozart’s Magic Flute, the Sisi Museum, and the Albertina.

Wiener Schatzkammer
by Ezra Sassaman

One part of Vienna which I enjoyed immensely was the treasure chamber, or Schatzkammer. This is one area in which the United States does not offer much: back at home for me, it would be impossible to find this amount of royal adornments or anything at all from this far into history. The treasures in the rooms were like something I had only ever seen in books or movies and I couldn’t believe they were real at first—I felt like I was in the storage room of a theater.
Included in the cache were huge portraits of former Austrian royalty, the Habsburgers, resplendent garments, bejeweled crowns and swords, and even some things I had never imagined, like a much too intricate cradle for a baby Habsburger and an amazing pitcher for the official baptism of royalty. Among the portraits was a painting of Maria Louise, one of Napoleon’s wives. Of course, we hear about Napoleon, but I have the feeling I did not fully grasp that he was a real person—it had always seemed like a story from the past that we did not have much connection to in the present. In the Schatzkammer, however, seeing these portraits and treasures which belonged to these people from so long ago was simply different than seeing pictures or reading about historical events—these figures of history began to come to life for me.

Kaiser Ezra I.

Toward the end of the tour, I needed to ask a question. We often see criminal masterminds trying to break into exhibits like the Schatzkammer in shows like “Sherlock” or movies like “National Treasure.” I asked the tour guide what kind of security measures the Schatzkammer used, and if there had been any attempts to steal the priceless treasures. “Well, of course I can’t tell you exactly what kind of security we use” laughed the tour guide—“are you trying to steal something?” She said that there had been no break-in attempts at the Schatzkammer, but a painting had been stolen from a neighboring museum during construction. The thief had tried to blackmail the museum, but they caught him.

Magic Flute Marionette Theater at Schönbrunn Palace
by Santiago Princ

During our excursion to Vienna we were taken to multiple theater plays and different kind of performances, one of them being a rare Marionette depiction of “The Magic Flute” (“Die Zauberflöte” in German); a two-act opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. What I found most remarkable about the experience was the amazingly honed skill that the puppeteers had to control the marionettes. This play normally performed by human beings lacked no fluidity or expression while being performed by the stringed dolls. The movements of the dolls were perfectly synchronized with their dialogs, every scene flowed smoothly and the fact that these were puppets being controlled instead of humans made “special effects” such as Papageno quasi-flying great addition to the play’s fantasy. We were also given some insights on the art of puppeteering. According to the professionals in the theater every single action of the puppet such as walking, waving or striking a pose can take years to master, and becoming proficient at puppeteering can be as demanding as becoming a professional instrument player. During the intermission we could also see how the design and making process of the marionettes develops and after the play we were invited by the puppeteers to see how they operate from behind the scenes. I found this to be a very peculiar and hilarious experience!

Photo from https://www.marionettentheater.at/aktuelles.html

Sisi Museum
by Cassandra Blyler

A few of us chose to visit the Sisi Museum, which is located in part of the Hofburg Palace. The museum was organized into two sections; the first being a collection of silverware, plates, and other household items made specifically for the Habsburgs. I found this part of the museum to be impressive due to the sheer quantity of various items; for example a collection of 200 golden plates only occupied a tiny section. The second half of the museum was dedicated to the life of Empress Elizabeth (Sisi) who was married to Franz Joseph I. This part of the museum was very interesting because it provided us with so much information about Sisi’s personal life. It included excerpts of poems she had written, along with dresses and other articles of clothing she had worn in private. I was amazed by the circumference of her waist and the corsets used to further exaggerate its smallness. It was also noteworthy to see the highly popularized paintings of Sisi in their original form. It was interesting to hear about the daily-life struggles of someone in the royal family; those makes her more relatable, especially with her depression following the suicide of her son.

Albertina
by George DeRosa

“For about six hours, entranced, S. A. Powers had watched thousands of Picasso paintings replace one another at flashcut speed, and then he had been treated to Paul Klees, more than the painter had painted during his entire lifetime. S. A. Powers, now viewing Modigliani paintings replace themselves at furious velocity, had conjectured (one needs a theory for everything) that the Rosicrucians were telepathically beaming pictures at him, probably boosted by microrelay systems of an advanced order; but then, when Kandinsky paintings began to harass him, he recalled that the main art museum at Leningrad specialized in just such nonobjective moderns, and decided that the Soviets were attempting telepathically to contact him.”

After four days of travelling around Vienna, coffee was no longer a tasty pick-me-up but rather a necessity. After touring the Belvedere Palace and Museum, the rest of the afternoon was free and I eagerly retraced my steps through the city towards my bed. Along the way, I was remarking to myself how odd it is seeing buildings and cathedrals from the 12th century directly across the street from ultra-modern boutiques selling handbags and skin creams but sleep was the only relevant thought on my mind. As I pulled the door handle of the hotel expecting entrance into my own personal nirvana I was snapped back into reality when the door wouldn’t budge. I was locked out. Santiago had the keys. Scheiße. With no means of contacting Santiago, I quickly surveyed my options and did the only rational thing left to do: I took the nearest subway in a completely random direction. Upon exiting the subway, I found myself in Schillerplatz and the accompanying park memorializing the life of German poet, philosopher, historian, and playwright Friedrich Schiller. After a tour around the park I found myself outside of the Albertina Museum and decided to view their exhibitions.
That lovely excerpt from Phillip K. Dick’s, A Scanner Darkly, was my first exposure to what would be considered “High Art” and whether it was Synchronicity, the Russians, or the fact that the Albertina Museum is home to over 1,000,000 prints and over 65,000 drawings (one needs a theory for everything), I was pleased to find that one of the first paintings I had chosen to spend time with, upon further inspection, was Amedeo Modigliani’s Young Woman in a Blue Shirt. Seeing Modigliani’s name conjured up memories of that particular passage from Dick’s text and gave me a sense of familiarity and connectedness in a completely foreign city and country. After spending another 10 minutes trying to unlock the secrets hidden behind her solid blue eyes I moved on to the rest of the museum. I was greeted by works of artists with familiar names such as Monet, Picasso, Kandinsky, and works by artists less familiar to me such as Redon, Delvaux, and Giacometti. The Albertina is one of my fondest memories of Vienna not only because of the events leading up to it but also because after leaving I felt ever slightly more cultured.

From March 1 to March 6, the Dickinson-in-Bremen program traveled yet again to beautiful Vienna. The current group of students all wrote about their respective favorite activity. In Part I, read about the Austrian National Library, Modern Art in Vienna, The Hundertwasser Haus, and a theater performance we saw during the excursion.

The Austrian National Library
by Rachel Schilling

My favorite activity in Vienna, the one where I never stopped bouncing up and down and smiling during the course of it, was visiting the Austrian National Library. On the morning of the third of March the group headed over together to the Hofburg, the palatial complex that was the residence of the Austrian monarchy. While the entirety of Hofburg was beautiful, the library and its connected museums were heaven for a bibliophile like me. We started with a tour in the Prunksaal, the court library founded by Emperor Charles VI that was finished in the 1730s. The Prunksaal contains books from the very beginning of printing in the 1500’s. The library itself was beautiful with grand book shelves and beautiful ceiling frescos. We were shown some old books on flowers and allowed to smell them (for those that love the scent of old books as I do) and were told that we would be allowed , after buying a day library card, to have one of the books pulled from the shelves for us. I especially loved seeing the amazing hidden doorways that the workers use to shelve books and hearing about the current digitizing of the collection.

Rachel reading

We also got the chance to see some of the library’s archived books including some enchanting pop up books and miniature books which I was absolutely obsessed with. We looked at old lesson books which included an alphabet with three different types of S’s. We peeked into the very active current national library and saw the lift system that they use to transport books from the archive to areas where the public can use them.

Later that week, Ezra and I returned to Hofburg to also visit the museums that are a part of the larger library system, namely the Globe Museum and the Esperanto Museum, both extremely unique and interesting museums. The highlight of the Esperanto Museum was the modified Pac Man game that helped us learn a little Esperanto, the language that people once hoped would bring the entire world together under one language. The Globe Museum was fascinating. We were able to catch a glimpse at how people perceived and misperceived the world (including a few maps where California was an island completely detached from the US).  The entirety of the Vienna excursion was beautiful and fun, but getting to see the collections of the National Library was the biggest treat for someone that studies literature.

Modern Art in Vienna
by Adrienne Brown

Vienna, Austria is quite the destination for art enthusiasts. There were more art museums than I could visit in a week, and that is before one even starts to consider the special galleries and smaller art exhibitions. As a part of our Dickinson planned excursion in Vienna we had the opportunity to explore the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Art History Museum) and the Upper Belvedere art museum. Which, between the two of them, showcased some big-name artists like Rubens, Durer, Klimt, and Matisse, among others.

MuseumsQuartier

image source: Nicole Spies – Flicker

While I enjoy all kinds of art, the month I spent living in Berlin turned me into a lover of all things modern and contemporary. So I decided to branch out a bit and visit the MuseumsQuartier in my free time. MuseumsQuartier is located right in the heart of Vienna’s center city and it is far more than a museum. According to Google, MuseumsQuartier is the 8th largest cultural center in the world. It consists of four museums, an institute for modern/ contemporary dance, and a few bars. I had the opportunity to visit two of the art museums at MuseumsQuartier, the Kunsthalle Wien (Art Hall Vienna) and MUMOK. The other museums were, unfortunately, closed the day I went to visit.

Kunsthalle Wien – The Future of Memory

©: Lorenz Seidler – Flicker

The exhibition “The Future of Memory” is a good example of a challenging art exhibit. Some of the installations made me uncomfortable, others forced me to think critically about memory, identity, and technology. The mediums exhibited varied widely. As one entered the space there were sixty watches laid out on the ground in a perfect circle. I learned the hard way that one must pay more attention to the floor in art museums these days. In one corner a baby swing propelled itself back and forth in a never ending rhythm that was more than a little disconcerting. In another corner an empty projector flipped through the slots where the slides should have been. I stood in front of the empty projector for a good while wondering if any sort of image would eventually pop up, and then it dawned on me that the projector was in fact empty. On the back wall of the exhibition films about the connection between memory and identity played over and over.

One of these films was a short documentary about how countries in south-east Europe, such as Croatia, are currently struggling with a disconnect between identity and memory. Due to their recent history, they are disillusioned with their current identity and are trying to create a new one. However, there is a general feeling that they lack the role models necessary to build a new identity. There has been some debate among artists, but currently numerous statutes are being built in tribute to foreign role models such as: Bill Clinton, Rocky and Bruce Lee. Other artists, however, are trying to remain honest and deal with the identity crisis by taking it on rather than running from it.

As one might understand, I needed some time to processes what I had just seen in the Kunsthalle Wien, so I decided to get a coffee and a cupcake in the cupcake cafe. Which may be a shameless plug, but I don’t think any art-complex is complete without a cupcake cafe. Once I digested everything, I was off to go take in some more art. This time at the MUMOK museum, which was featuring the exhibit “Ludwig goes POP!”

“Ludwig goes Pop!”

Santiago

featured some really big names in pop art. Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol mostly, but also a few cool artists that my art professor is obsessed with. The most striking part of this exhibit was just to see those artists we are always hearing about in real life. I mean I’ve seen so many pictures of Warhol’s “Campbell’s Soup”, but seeing a print in real life is kind of magical. It’s also weird to see the little name plate next to Warhol’s name that reads “Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania” and think I came all the way to Vienna, Austria from Carlisle, Pennsylvania and here is art from a Pennsylvania artist… All in all, Vienna was wonderful and I want to go back to visit the other two museums at MuseumsQuartier, among others.

The Hundertwasser Haus
by Katherine Mooradian

My favorite part of the Vienna Excursion was easily the Hundertwasserhaus and Museum. I had seen pictures of his architecture in previous German classes at Dickinson but I never knew that he was also an artist. Not only that but he was a true visionary. I found the experience very inspiring. He has designed four buildings in Vienna, three of which I saw on site, the Hundertwasserhaus, Hundertwasser village, and the KunsthausWien. His last building in Vienna is a heating plant. In his architecture he strives to create a harmony with nature which I found intriguing. All of his houses were filled with plants, a major part of his design was always green roofs, covered in grass or trees. He advocated for more beautiful building styles rejecting stark horizontal and vertical lines, which almost exclusively is found in man made creations.   My favorite part of the museum was the uneven flooring. This technique is found in the majority of Hundertwasser’s architecture. Throughout the museum there were quotes and writings by Hundertwasser which added congruence to his life work on display.

The artist himself has an extremely interesting history and personality. He is known for being an environmental activist and opposed the EU. He advocated for strong individualism and a reconciliation of humans with nature.

“It is disgusting to see what is understood as freedom now. When you stroll through the city you get the feeling that you are walking through a prison: ruler-edged windows, ruler-edged buildings, the people as identical as if they wore prison uniforms. It is a self-made prison. What the people now take to mean freedom is no longer a jail which they are forced into but rather one which they themselves obediently enter. For they have already learned the taboos and prohibitions by heart.” – Real Freedom, 1966

Hundertwasser’s art spoke to me for this reason. He was not afraid to break the rules. He lived for himself, and in realizing his vision he created, and designed practical solutions to real world problems, such as sustainable living communities with his classic green roofs. Furthermore by being free to really express himself, and actualize his dreams he inspires others to do the same.

“Art exists only in an enslaved society like ours. In a free society “art” exists neither as an undersupplied commodity nor as spiritual edification. Art is as omnipresent and natural as the grass and trees, which grows wherever there is water. The attainment of this goal is the artist’s holy commitment. He alone possesses a sure instinct for the coming disaster. And so he simply cannot keep still as he watches the society in which he lives, sink into subjugation.” – Real Freedom, 1966

“Freunde, das Leben ist lebenswert!”
by Madison Alley

Vienna is rich with history. I thoroughly enjoyed our tours through various Habsburg estates, resting places, museums, and treasuries, but the most impacting experience I had during our time there was at a small theater directly next to our hotel. The play we saw is entitled “Freunde, das Leben ist lebenswert!” (Friends, Life is Worth Living!). It follows the lives of a Jewish doctor and poet, Fritz Löhner, and his two Jewish friends, as well as his non-Jewish driver, beginning at the rise of Hitler and ending, as so many lives did, with their respective deaths in a concentration camp. The driver in the story, Prohaska, is an aspiring poet, but lacks the skill that Löhner has with words. Later, Prohaska joins Hitler’s force as a Nazi and becomes famous by forcing Löhner and his friends to write songs for which he takes credit. If I had to describe the play with only one word, it would have to be “shocking”. The brutality with which Jews were treated during this time period is not a surprise; however, seeing these intense situations acted out – in Austria, and in German – left me breathless by the end of the performance. I was constantly surprised throughout the play, taken aback by the bluntness and the very straightforward and heartbreakingly honest way these incredibly sensitive scenes were portrayed.

For whatever reason I was simply not expecting such a dynamic and dramatic representation of the events captured in this play. It was, literally, breathtaking.

Berliner Dom

Definitely one of the most beautiful buildings in Berlin (in my opinion), the Dom overlooks a flowing river on one side and the beautiful Lust Garden on the other. The inside of the Dom is ornate and beautiful. The most breathtaking moment, however, is reserved for the view you get when you climb all the stairs, circle the dome, and see Berlin sprawled out before you. >Rachel Schilling ‘16<

“Alternative” Street Art Tour

“Alternative” Street Art Tour was extremely interesting. We walked around the city with a local tour guide who explained street art to us from small stencils to giant images that covered entire buildings. We learned about the progression of street art, from tags (which supposedly began in NYC) to graffiti and eventually street art. Some of the works were commissioned and others were illegal. My favorite was the tag for an artist named Po which took the shape of a bum when she learned what Po meant in German.
>Katie Mooradian ‘16<

It was a three hour walking tour through East and West Berlin looking at the different street art and having its meaning explained to us. We saw both legal and illegal street art, both of which cover the buildings in Berlin. Some of the coolest ones were the art pieces showing a deeper meaning, such as the differences still seen between east and west Germans or the limitations that working a white collar job puts on a person. It was very interesting and a great way to see Berlin by foot. >Cassie Blyler ‘16<

Alte Nationalgalerie (Old National Gallery)

© Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Nationalgalerie / Maximilian Meisse

I really enjoyed this museum even from the exterior, with the large equestrian statue of Fredrick William the IV. The collections inside were spectacular, ranging from Neoclassical style to Romantic, Impressionist, and early Modernist. I especially enjoyed seeing Romantic artwork in person because it’s actually quite beautiful, but in person I find it a bit kitschy. >Katie Mooradian ‘16<

We visited this museum one morning before the conference and it was really interesting. It is different paintings and sculptures organized by the progression of the different eras of art. My favorite was the room dedicated to Caspar David Friedrich, since in German 210 back at Dickinson we all had to choose one of his paintings and analyze it in terms of Romanticism, so seeing a room full of all his works was really exciting. >Cassie Blyler ‘16<

Pergamon-Museum

Ezra and Rachel (©: all pictures taken by Adrienne)

During the course of a weekend focused on the very recent past of East Germany and the city that was once divided in half, it felt like entering a different world when Ezra and I visited the Pergamon Museum on the Muse- um Island. This museum, despite being under renovation, still housed three exceptional exhibits. Each of the three exhibits, Antikensammlung (Museum of Classical Antiques), Vorderasiatisches Museum (Museum of the Ancient Near East), and the Museum für Islamische Kunst (Museum of Islamic Art), contained a gigantic structure of some sort that towered over museum goers. Surrounded by the great temples of ancient history, the “piece” that made the biggest impression on me was the Babylonian Processional Way and Ishtar Gate that was salvaged and reconstructed right in the center of the museum. These walls and their gate were reconstructed in the long entrance hall of the museum and is the first piece that museum-goers have a chance to see. While walking through I tried to imagine the Babylonian people that once walked parallel to these very walls.

The rest of the museum left the same impression on me as I walked down the steps of the Market Gate of Miletus and the Mshatta Façade (walls from an eighth-century “castle” in Jordan). The last exhibit we explored was the Museum of Islamic Art. The art itself was beautiful and also educational (for example I learned about the transition from free flowing designs to most pattern and press oriented ones) but the overall concept of the exhibit and appreciation the museum goers had for the art struck more of a chord with me. I feel that in the US there are so many people with stereotypes, negative feelings, or simple ignorance toward Islamic culture and art. I felt fortunate to not only be able to observe the art in front of me but reflect on my own culture after being removed from it. >Rachel Schilling ‘16<

Alexanderplatz

This was the first place in Berlin where I could feel the energy of the city. Live music, literal carnival rides, Trams begging for the opportunity to turn you into a statistic, Döner kebap and Currywurst stands everywhere, and even people bungee jumping off of skyscrapers; it was surreal. Luckily, Alexanderplatz is a main transit junction and I was able to explore this area multiple times. >George DeRosa ‘16<

Brandenburger Tor

A symbol reminding us of Germany and Europe’s checkered past and also a symbol for peace. It’s very impressive to see at night.
>George DeRosa ‘16<

I went to multiple Flohmärkte (flee markets) and art markets around the city. They were very interesting for what they were, but mostly because of the sheer number of people that were attending them. My favorites were easily the markets on Museum Island. It’s a very good place to buy books if you want to practice your reading in German! >Katie Mooradian ‘16<

The entire trip was filled with poignant moments of history and cultural difference (especially for me, after being raised in a small town). If I had to select a theme, or a feeling, that struck me throughout the weekend, I would choose the very strong difference between Germany’s and America’s history that could be felt throughout the city. It is easy to take for granted over 200 years of consistent and constant govern- ment. Since the creation of the first German empire in 1871 there hasn’t been a regime that has lasted more than about 50 years. The fall of the Wall was only 25 years ago. The reminders of this unrest, as well as the hope for a steadier time, could be found throughout the entire weekend. From the discussions in the conference, to visiting the Berlin Wall and East Side Gallery, to seeing the ancient Babylonian temple in the Pergamon Museum, to celebrating German Re-Unification Day, Berlin serves as a symbol of different pieces being brought together. The old murals on the Berlin Wall are painted with fresh graffiti, old cathedrals look at a giant TV tower built during the time of East Germany and Berlin, and flea markets are filled with used DVDs and old maps from around the world. >Rachel Schilling ‘16<

Berlin is without a doubt one of the “must visit” cities in Europe. It is densely loaded with history, culture, diversity, liveliness and fun. I was particularly attracted to the aesthetic and artistic displays the city, which are like a timeless collage of different styles. Some great examples of this are the graffiti on the streets, the galleries in the open air such as East Side Gallery, the different architectures in the different neighborhoods and especially between the East and the West and the sudden remnants of older periods such as the Berliner Dom. To finish the recipe there are many modern places such as bars, coffee shops, clubs, restaurants and malls all around the city. Berlin is an incredibly mixed city, but it still keeps a bohemian scent to it, for which I think that it really lives up to the “poor, but sexy” slogan that Klaus Wowereit coined in 2004. >Santiago Princ ‘16<

Santiago, Rachel, and Ezra in the subway (from left to right)

Cells in the newer building of the “MfS-Untersuchungs-haftanstalt.” ©http://www.stiftung-hsh.de/

On the last day of our trip a few of us went and toured the prison in which the GDR police placed citizens that posed a threat to communism. Our guide, who was once a prisoner here himself, reminded us throughout the tour that these buildings aren’t a recreation meant for us to observe and scare us, but instead these cells were used to hold thousands of inmates in horrible conditions. The prison was not only very eerie but extremely eye-opening. >Rachel Schilling ‘16<

We almost didn’t make it here because it’s out of the city and we got lost both trying to find it and trying to get back, but it was absolutely worth the trip. We did the German tour and understood a lot of it, and what we didn’t understand completely was explained well enough in bilingual plaques throughout the prison. This was probably my favorite part of the trip only because I had no idea that anything like this had occurred during the time of the wall, so it was incredibly eye-opening and interesting to hear all the stories of what happened in this prison. It is probably the thing I would most highly recommend next to walking through east side gallery on a trip to Berlin. >Katie Mooradian ‘16<

The German tours of the jail are conducted by old prisoners. My particular guide was arrested for taking a train that traveled too closely to the border of Western Germany and this gave them just cause for saying he was trying to escape. My tour guide was literally arrested for taking the wrong train at the wrong time… The interrogations, torture, and squalor living conditions weren’t able to be muted by my insufficient German. It’s quite shocking when you realize that this ended only 25 years ago and similar events take place daily throughout the rest of the world. >George DeRosa ‘16<

The time in the prison was not pleasant, nor was it meant to be. It began with a 30-minute film outlining the various types of cells used in the prison, the history of the prison, then stories about various prisoners. Our tour began with a soft-spoken man taking us through the Soviet-built older part of the prison. Right at the beginning of the tour, he told us that a State Security guard who would have been around twenty during the time that the newer section was built, if we met him today, would be “ungefähr so alt… wie ich.”//“…about as old… as me.” This intrigued me, and I started thinking about what role this tour guide could have in connection with this prison. When we visited the newer section of the prison, our guide revealed that he had been a prisoner! He had lived in East Berlin and had taken a train which travelled a route within five kilometers (about three miles) of the border to West Berlin. A State Security officer stopped him and convicted him of “a possible intention to attempt to cross into West Germany”, a clearly ridiculous crime. He was 18 at the time, younger than myself and any of the Dickinson students with whom I attended the tour. He had been imprisoned for 10 months on this charge until West Germany bought his freedom. At the end of the tour, he disappeared after saying “Ich würde vorschlagen, ihr macht noch heute etwas heiteres…”//“I suggest you do something cheerful today.” >Ezra Sassaman ’16<

The East-Side-Gallery is not only the longest remaining piece of the Berlin Wall but also the largest open-air gallery in the world. I was able to visit the East-Side-Gallery on October 3rd, Germany’s Unity Day, a national public holiday that celebrates Germany’s reunification in 1990. This was certainly more surreal than the town’s center and although probably imagined, there was a palpable tension still hanging in the air once you stepped over on to the east side. >George DeRosa ‘16<

My favorite cultural activity was the East Side Gallery. […] Each artwork has a deeper meaning about freedom, reunification, and what it meant for the artist to live through the fall of the Berlin wall. As an art enthusiast I really enjoyed looking at these pieces and I feel a sense of luck that I have had that opportunity now, before they are all completely destroyed. It is rather sad that the works have not been preserved like normal artworks. They are a free museum and out in the open, therefore many people have decided to add their own “master pieces” to this great work of art. I was very annoyed to see many preteen girls writing cliché things on the wall such as “peace and love” or “Allie and Johnny forever!”. Hopefully, the work lives on to inspire many other people like it has inspired me. >Adrienne Brown ‘16<

Santiago, Adrienne, Rachel, George, Ezra (f. l. t. r.)

While there were beautiful murals painted on the wall, many were covered in fresh graffiti and people’s names. This mix of old artwork and new graffiti made me think about the meaning the wall might hold for those who, like me, were born within a few years after the destruction of the wall. >Rachel Schilling ‘16<

I was disappointed to see that so many more people had written their name on the monument, but was glad that they do clean them every so often. I really love the idea behind the monument, to take this symbol of war and after it’s served its use, hire artists famous at the moment from all over the world and give them free reign to create what they want. Not only does it help the city, but also gives the artists exposure. >Katie Mooradian ‘16<

Katie and I found this on accident trying to find our way to a flea market at the Ostbahnhof. I’m very happy we did because it was one of my favorite parts of the trip. I love the different paintings on each section of the wall, however I did not enjoy the graffiti all over the art. I do advocate street art, but a teenager writing their name in the middle of a beautiful painting for no reason other than “to have their name on the Berlin Wall” is ridiculous. Other than that, I could’ve spent hours looking at every piece of that decorated wall. >Cassie Blyler ‘16<

Theater Play Die Sorgen und die Macht (The Sorrows and the Power)

A play by Peter Hacks (world premiere: 1959), director: Tom Kühnel, Jürgen Kuttner (premiere: Sep. 4, 2010)

© Arno Declair. Fr. l. to r.: Michael Schweighöfer, Elias Arens, Christoph Franken, Jürgen Kuttner

The first night we were in Berlin we went to the Deutsches Theater to see “Die Sorgen und die Macht” (The Sorrows and the Power) – a special showing to commemorate the 25-year anniversary of the fall of the wall. It was interesting enough to be in a German theater, but it was especially exciting to see Jürgen Kuttner on stage after having talked to him in my German class last year. The play itself was a bit difficult for us to understand because it was frequently referring to German history which I’ve been learning over and over we aren’t really taught in school. That being said, I definitely learned something and enjoyed the performance.
>Katie Mooradian ‘16<

© Arno Declair. Fr. l. t. r.: Claudia Eisinger, Felix Goeser (with Pittiplatsch mask), Susanne Wolff

It was especially cool because the co-director, Jürgen Kuttner, had previously come to Dickinson and he was also a part of the play. Politics are not the most interesting thing to me so there were some parts of the play that went over my head in that aspect, but there were many comedic parts of the play that I really enjoyed, and it’s always confidence boosting to understand a performance in a different language. >Cassie Blyer ’16<

The show dealt with the conflicted feelings East Germans faced during the start of the new communist regime. The show contained advanced German and references to specific points and things in history that I did not understand, however the show itself was portrayed in such a way as to convey the mixture of readily accepting any non-fascist government and doubts about communism understandable to any audience member. >Rachel Schilling ‘16<

© Arno Declair. Fr. l. to. r.: Susanne Wolff, Jürgen Kuttner, Elias Arens, Felix Goeser, Claudia Eisinger, Christoph Franken, Michael Schweighöfer, Gabriele Heinz. In the back: a picture of Walter Ulbricht and a bust of Karl Marx.